2010 municipal elections get underway

January 04, 2010

The early morning sun hits this Rudy Jaramillo sign in Belen.

With the end of the holidays and the beginning of a new year, municipal elections across the county are getting underway this week.

The first political campaign shot was fired by Belen mayoral candidate Rudy Jaramillo who erected a huge billboard along the highway in Belen. The billboard doesn’t say he’s running for anything, but highlights his business, says he’s been serving the community since 1980 and shows his name as large as possible.

The Village of Bosque Farms, Village of Los Lunas and Town of Peralta will also hold elections on March 2.

The mayoral races in Belen and Los Lunas could prove to be the most exciting. For the first time in a very long time neither mayoral race has an incumbent running for office.

In Belen, the field remains wide open, as current Belen Mayor Ronnie Torres said months ago that he wouldn’t be seeking reelection.

Jaramillo is one of two announced candidates in the Belen mayoral race. Arturo Sais, who works for the Town of Peralta, is passing out cards saying he’s running. Other names bouncing around as possible Belen mayoral candidates include councilors Wayne Gallegos and Terese Ulivarri, as well as local attorney Tibo Chavez Jr.

A campaign card for Arturo Sais.

In Los Lunas, the only announced candidate is the current mayor, Robert Vialpando. While he can be considered an incumbent in many respects, he was appointed to the position less than a year ago after former Mayor Louis Huning resigned due to health concerns.

Other people rumored to be considering a run for mayor of Los Lunas include Councilor Gerard Saiz and Los Lunas Schools Board Member Frank Otero.

Filing day for all candidates for municipal office is tomorrow, when we’ll know for sure who’s running for which positions, including the various council and municipal judge candidates.

Posted in: Politics